We have calculated the bidding cost of lithium battery energy storage in the past year, and the lowest installation cost using a new battery is around 1600 yuan/kWh. If calculated using 10000 cycles, the cost per kilowatt hour can indeed be calculated as 0.16 yuan/kilowatt hour.
Base year costs for utility-scale battery energy storage systems (BESSs) are based on a bottom-up cost model using the data and methodology for utility-scale BESS in (Ramasamy et al., 2023). The bottom-up BESS model accounts for major components, including the LIB pack, the inverter, and the balance of system (BOS) needed for the installation.
The costs of a complete battery system, based on cathode active material price scenarios calculated in the work, are represented by a linear regression that accounts for economies of scale. The costs for the battery system were differentiated into cost types, but not into process steps .
However, the LCOS is as of today the only model for estimating costs of a battery storage system over its entire life time. As stated in the report, another way of estimating and comparing costs of a battery storage system is to focus on the specific investment costs to install a system based on system size and characteristics.
For behind the meter applications, the LCOS for a lithium ion battery is 43 USD/kWh and 41 USD/kWh for a lead-acid battery. A sensitivity analysis is conducted on the LCOS in order to identify key factors to cost development of battery storage.
These cost models do not account for costs such as O&M, residual value and charging, as well as the time value of money which makes it more difficult for stakeholders to assess the profitability of a battery storage system.